7/31/2014 09:41:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have now confirmed that tickets will go on sale for the Mexico City leg of the Doctor Who World Tour this coming Saturday 2nd August from 11:00pm local time. The Tour will see Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman appearing at the Teatro Metropolitan theatre for the screening of series premiere Deep Breath and a Q&A session.

On the day itself, Doctor Who: Live Pre-Show will be presented by Nerdist presenter Chris Hardwick at 7:30pm before the premiere airs at 8:00pm. Doctor Who is then followed by another premiere, Intruders, before the show is once again the focus in Doctor Who: After Who Live at 11:00pm - the show aims to feature a host of guests in studio, including writer/actor Mark Gatiss, plus behind-the-scenes footage.

The day after will see Make Your Own Sunday, featuring the top episodes voted for by BBC America viewers in an online poll that opens on the 6th August.

Meanwhile, as with the United Kingdom, the episode will have a cinematic release in the USA, though this will not be simulcast. Instead, BBC America have partnered with Fathom Events to present Deep Breath in a special screening event taking place in twelve cities from midnight, with full details to be announced on the 5th August.

This will be followed by a wider cinematic release on the 25th August, with over 550 cinemas showing the episode at 7:00pm and 9:30pm, accompanied by the prequel and behind-the-scenes material as seen in the UK (no Q&A).

Tickets are now available to purchase from participating venues and also online from Fathom Events.

7/31/2014 05:23:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The BBC have reported that tickets to the cinematic outing of the Doctor Who new series premiere Deep Breath will go on sale from tomorrow morning (1st August) from 11:00am.

As well as the episode itself, cinemas will also be showing an exclusive five minute video that features on a future Doctor Who DVD release, plus a ten minute behind-the-scenes film covering the making of the episode (which viewers at home will also be able to see via the BBC Red Button).

In addition to cinemas around the country, there will be a special showing at London's Odeon Leicester Square which will also include a live Q&A with guest stars from the story. Limited tickets for this event can be purchased from Odeon tomorrow from the earlier time of 10:00am. Viewers at other cinemas will also be able to see the Q&A via a live stream.

Stephen Davies, Director for Live Events, said:

Following the tremendous success of the 50th anniversary screenings, this is another wonderful opportunity for fans to get together to celebrate another major milestone and enjoy the amazing opening episode of the Peter Capaldi era on the big screen.

Deep Breath has been rated PG, with the cinema events expected to end between 10:00-10:30pm.

For collectors, Sylvester McCoy – the seventh Doctor – is the most lucrative, yielding the greatest individual return. Items related to his brief stint sell with the highest value, with prices for his figurine peaking at £565.

Top 10 Doctors by sales

Tom Baker

David Tennant

Matt Smith

William Hartnell

Paul McGann

Patrick Troughton

Sylvester McCoy

Colin Baker

Peter Davison

Peter Capaldi

eBay Spokesperson, Laura Wilkinson-Rea says,

It really speaks to Tom Baker’s iconic Doctor Who status that he continues to outsell the other Doctors. It also seems like the Universe is safe for now as the Doctors are far outselling the baddies. For example, eBay.co.uk currently lists 200,000 items of Doctor Who merchandise - totally dwarfing the Dalek’s 14,000. We’d be fascinated to see what spin Malcolm Tucker would put on this!

7/30/2014 07:16:00 am -
Reported by
John Bowman

Get a photograph of yourself reading Doctor Who Adventures in an unusual place this summer and you could win a Doctor Who goodie bag.

That's the competition being run by the fortnightly magazine in the new edition out today.

Editor Moray Laing said:

Whether visiting friends or relatives next door, heading off to a beach - or even popping off to an alien planet or a different time zone, we want to see pictures of readers reading the latest issue in unusual places. We'll print the best and funniest pictures in a future issue - and our favourite photograph will win a prize!

Full details in the magazine.

Also in issue 351, the Eleventh Doctor appears in the comic strip for a final adventure, written by former script editor Andrew Cartmel, plus:

The latest news

Top tips for being the Doctor's companion

A guide to the Eleventh Doctor's stories

Top 10 TARDIS trips

Dalek secrets about the Dalek Emperor

Strax's guide to the Cybermen

A look at filming of the latest series

Puzzles and posters

Issue 351 of DWA, which comes with a TARDIS key ring, notepad, stickers and a sonic pen, is available until Tuesday 12th August.

7/28/2014 06:23:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have confirmed that the Doctor Who World Tour will touch down in Mexico City on Sunday 17th August, with series stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman to appear at the Teatro Metropolitan theatre for the screening of series premiere Deep Breath and a Q&A session.

Update: the following day sees the pair travel to Brazil, where they appear at the Vivo Rio Auditorium in Rio de Janeiro.

Doctor Who is one of the most popular shows in Latin America with some of the most dedicated fans and we are excited to bring Doctor Who: The World Tourto both Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.This is a unique opportunity for the fans in these cities to see for the first time the main cast of the series and have a memorable experience.

More details on the activities and ticket information for both days will be announced shortly.

7/28/2014 11:15:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have announced that the successful Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular will be arriving in the United Kingdom during May 2015, to be performed by the BBC’s National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.

Content of the performances are detailed as follows:

The version of the show performed on the 2015 UK Tour will include some of the music performed at previous Doctor Who Proms and the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular shows performed in Australia and in New Zealand in 2012 and 2014. It will also include a very considerable amount of material not performed at any of the previous shows, both from the first adventures of the Twelfth Doctor (which broadcasts on 23 August 2014) and from previous incarnations.

Two performances are planned for 3:00pm and 7:30pm at the following venues:

Sat 23 May 2015 - SSE Arena, Wembley, London

Mon 25 May 2015 - Motorpoint Area, Cardiff

Tue 26 May 2015 - National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

Wed 27 May 2015 - First Direct Arena, Leeds

Thu 28 May 2015 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle

Fri 29 May 2015 - SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Tickets for the performances go on sale to the general public from Friday 1st August, but fans will be able to book early from 10:00am on Wednesday 30 July via the SeeTickets website. There are also some pre-order packages available that can be purchased along with the ticket:

Standard Edition: includes souvenir brochure and a t-shirt design not available on the tour

7/26/2014 01:52:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The new sculpture will be unveiled at 10am on Sunday 3 August and will join the collection of replica characters created to raise funds for BBC Children In Need and other charities.

The Fourth Doctor has been sculpted by Phil Robinson, the man responsible for re-creating the Davros mask for the 2005 stageshow The Trial of Davros. The sculpture will include a replica costume from Season 18 as the Doctor is stepping from the Police Box.

On the day there will also be the chance to meet Robinson and see some of his other sculpted work, meet Hyde Fundraisers and get some photographs.

The official BBC exhibition with genuine props and costumes from the TV series is the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff.

7/25/2014 06:42:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Former members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop will be performing tonight as part of the BBC at the Quay event.

The live entertainment festival is being held alongside the Commonwealth Games, from a site directly outside BBC Scotland’s headquarters building at Pacific Quay. It features huge variety of live and recorded radio and TV programmes and special events.

The Radiophonic team will be performing music from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who.

7/25/2014 05:42:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

BBC Worldwide have announced that the South Korea screening of Deep Breath, part of the Doctor Who World Tour, will now be free of charge.

BBC Worldwide
We have been overwhelmed by the Doctor Who love we have felt in Korea. The TARDIS popped up in Cheonggye Plaza and Gwanghwamun Yeolin Madang on Tuesday and Thursday and the response has been fantastic. And this evening, we have announced that it will be at Dongdaemun Design Plaza over the weekend.

As the first international stop of the Doctor Who Global Tour, Korean fans will be the first outside of the UK watch Deep Breath, the first episode of the latest season of Doctor Who.

It therefore makes us very happy to announce that tickets to the Doctor who fan event in Korea will now be free to fans in Korea.

The interest in the Event in the South Korean capital has taken BBC Worldwide by surprise. The event has already had to change location because of the huge interest from fans. The event will now take place in the Grand Ballroom at the 63 Building. Tickets can be reserved from yes24.com when bookings open on Sunday 27 July at 9am. A 1000KRW ($1) booking fee is payable.

Seats will be numbered and fans will be able to pick the seats they want – on a first come first served basis.

7/25/2014 03:07:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Doctor Who fans arriving in Cardiff for the world premiere screening of the first episode from the new series, Deep Breath, will get an opportunity to see the new Doctor on the red carpet, ahead of the event, 7 August.

Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman, his on-screen companion Clara, will be meeting the public as they walk up the red carpet outside Cardiff Central Library, from 11am, en route to the sell-out screening at St David’s Hall. Joining them in the Hayes will be Cybermen and Daleks.

After seven months of filming the moment has finally arrived when we get to introduce Peter Capaldi to the world. And where better to start but Cardiff, the home of Doctor Who!

BBC Wales Director, Rhodri Talfan Davies, says:

Doctor Who is getting even bigger and even better - and it's a real thrill that the show's fans here in Wales will be the very first to see the new Doctor at this very special premiere screening. Doctor Who has been made in Wales for almost 10 years - and we're so proud of its worldwide success.

7/25/2014 12:58:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

BBC Worldwide has announced that the first episode of Doctor Who Series 8 - Deep Breath - will be screened in cinemas around the world from 23 August 2014.

This year’s screenings follow the success of the global cinema release of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor which was screened in over 1500 cinemas around the world.

The feature-length premiere episode of Series 8, starring new Doctor Peter Capaldi, is directed by acclaimed Director Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, A Field in England) and written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat. The story, detailing the beginning of the twelfth Doctor’s era features Jenna Coleman as his companion Clara Oswald and sees the return of fan favourites The Paternoster Gang - Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey) – in a pulse-racing adventure through Victorian London.

Steven Moffat comments:

Last November the Doctor didn't just conquer the world on television, he did it in the cinemas too. And like the show-off he is, he can't resist another go - one taste of the silver screen is never enough. On August 23rd the new Doctor will begin his new adventures on BBC One and in cinemas all over the world. Movie-land beware - Capaldi is coming to get you!

Doctor Who: Deep Breath will be screened in participating cinemas around the world from 23 August, 2014. More information will be released by BBC Worldwide and participating cinema chains over the coming weeks.

7/25/2014 06:40:00 am -
Reported by
John Bowman

In the brief video, the character Osgood - as played by Ingrid Oliver in The Day of the Doctor, but sporting a bow tie this time instead of a long, multi-coloured scarf - delivers the message, which incorporates three clips from the series featuring the Doctor expressing his gratitude.

7/24/2014 05:44:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The plaque, which marks the achievements of Lambert as a Film and Television producer, will be on display at Riverside Studios until the venue closes for development in the autumn, when it will be placed into storage and then permanently mounted at the new Riverside media centre when completed.

Verity Lambert was Doctor Who's first producer and the first female drama producer at BBC Television. She oversaw Doctor Who from her appointment in June 1963 until the autumn of 1965, guiding the series to a successful launch and laying down the framework of the series which still running today. After she left Doctor Who her credits and reputation continued to rise and she became one of the best known players in the industry. She oversaw such iconic productions as Adam Adamant Lives, Budgie, The Naked Civil Servant, Rock Follies, Rumpole of the Bailey, Edward and Mrs Simpson, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Minder, GBH and Jonathan Creek.

7/24/2014 03:25:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Big Finish Productions has announced it is to dramatise the Russell T Davies Doctor Who novel, Damaged Goods.

The Virgin book was originally published in 1996 as part of the New Adventures range of Doctor Who books. It was the first published Doctor Who story from Davies, who would go on to lead the team who revived Doctor Who in 2005.

The book is being adapted as a two-hour full cast audio written by Jonathan Morris, and to be released in August 2015.

Davies, who is a fan of Big Finish, expressed his pleasure that the story is being revisited

I’ve always been a huge fan of Big Finish, since long before I took the big chair on Doctor Who. So when they asked if they could adapt Damaged Goods… well, to be honest, I asked them what took so long!

Jonny has done the most brilliant job, adapting the novel - there’s lots of fascinating new stuff, while staying very true and faithful to the original story.

The story stars Sylvester McCoyas the Seventh Doctor, accompanied in his travels by companions Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester.

Jonathan Morris spoke of his excitment at being asked to adapt the novel

It was genuinely thrilling to be asked to adapt Damaged Goods. An honour, and a great responsibility to do justice to Russell’s extraordinary novel and to not disappoint fans of the New Adventures. I pulled out all the stops to capture the spirit of the novel, the character and Russell’s voice, and the end result is undoubtedly the best Big Finish script I’ve worked on.

Big Finish Productions have just celebrated the 15th Anniversary of their first release, Doctor Who: The Sirens of Time. The anniversary is being marked with a series of offers and tributes on the Big Finish website.

7/24/2014 02:26:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

The Department of Psychosocial Studies atBirkbeck College, University of London, is undertaking some research into Doctor Who fans as part of a project studying the incorporation of fandom into everyday life (and vice versa).

The researchers are looking for fans to answer a brief online survey, as well as volunteers for some interviews. Participants must be 18 or over. The short survey can be found online here.

7/24/2014 02:20:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat gives Doctor Who Magazine readers an exclusive guide to the new series of Doctor Who in the latest edition

Oh, it's a proper blockbuster this episode, so many explosions that Peter Capaldi came in on his day off to watch the Daleks blowing up! I like a Doctor who revels in the destruction of evil in his downtime…

Also in this issue:

Doctor Who's production designer Michael Pickwoad on how to create entire worlds.

7/23/2014 03:04:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Today sees the launch of two new comic series from Titan, featuring the adventures of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1

The Eisner Award-winning Nick Abadzis (Laika) and fan-favorite Elena Casagrande (Angel, Suicide Risk, Doctor Who, Star Trek) take control of the TARDIS for their first five-issue arc with the Tenth Doctor, as played by David Tennant.

Gabriella Gonzalez is stuck in a dead-end job in her family’s New York Laundromat, dreaming of college and bigger, better and brighter things.

So when a strange man with an even stranger big blue box barges into her life on the eve of the Day of the Dead celebrations – talking about an infestation of psychic aliens – she seizes her chance for adventure with both hands.

After Donna’s tragic exit, the Doctor thought he was done with new companions. But Gabby Gonzalez is going to prove him wrong… if she survives the night!

On-sale in comic stores and available to read on your digital device via Comixology

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #1

A stunning new era begins for the Eleventh Doctor, as played by Matt Smith.

Alice Obiefune has just lost her mother when the Doctor explodes into her life.

But what does this grieving young woman have to do with the career of a 70s musician, an amnesiac alien, and a terrifying cosmic threat?

In the wake of the second Big Bang, find out what the Doctor gets up to when Amy and Rory aren’t around!

Also included will be the docu-drama on the creation of Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space & Time, available on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time, and the Peter Davison-directed spoof The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. Other extras include a large number of documentaries shown around the period of the show's 50th Anniversary as well as some behind-the-scenes material.

7/23/2014 12:00:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

The new edition of SFX, out today, celebrates the return of Doctor Who to our screens this autumn with an exclusive selection of five limited edition covers and a revealing behind-the-scenes interview.

Issue 251 features access to the man behind Doctor Who, Steven Moffat, in which he exclusively reveals his hopes for the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, the direction he hopes the show will go in, and his episode-by-episode insight into the 2014 series.

To celebrate the return of Doctor Who to our screens, the magazine features five limited edition collectable covers: Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and his four ​companions Clara, Strax, Jenny and Madame Vastra. These will be randomly distributed around the UK.

Dave Bradley, Editor-in-Chief of SFX, says:

We’re thrilled to have this first cover with Peter Capaldi - and bonus covers with all his gang! Doctor Who remains a favourite with all our readers. A month ahead of the show's return to our screens, this is a great chance to chat with the head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat about what's in store for the new Doctor.

Issue 251 also goes behind the scenes on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and analyses the future of superheroes on TV with a complete guide to the upcoming shows Gotham, Constantine, The Flash, Agent Carter and more. The issue also features interviews with geek icon Felicia Day, director Luc Besson, and top fantasy author Robin Hobb.

7/22/2014 08:22:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

7/21/2014 11:57:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

When the first issues of Titan Comics' all-new ongoing comics series, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #1 are released, readers will discover at last how new companions Gabriella Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune enter the Doctors' lives.

Titan have now announced that these first issues will also each include an exclusive link to a code that readers can use to bring these new comics companions into their Doctor Who: Legacy games.

Players will also be able to pit these new companions against thrilling new levels and enemies ripped from the pages of the comics – for free.

Susan and Lee Cummings of Tiny Rebel Games said:

We're very excited to be working with Titan to add the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors' newest companions to the world of Legacy. Seeing them fight alongside other fan-favorite companions like Amy, Clara and River Song, and go up against the amazing new enemies introduced in the comics, is pretty thrilling.

Doctor Who comics editor Andrew James added:

Doctor Who fans from all over the world have already flocked to Legacy – and with good reason. So collaborating with the Legacy team to bring our comics companions into the game was a perfect opportunity. It’s a real delight for us that Gabby and Alice can now go on new adventures with the Doctor in between issues – and we look forward to sharing more comics-driven content through Legacy in the future.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor are ongoing comics series published by Titan Comics. The first issues of both titles are released on July 23. with July 26 being designated Doctor Who Comics Day.

7/21/2014 12:47:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The Day of the Doctor was the most-watched drama on BBC Television last year, with an average of 12.8 million viewing.

The figures are confirmed in the BBC Annual Report published today, which also reveals that 3.2 million requested the 50th-anniversary episode on iPlayer.

Doctor Who is listed as one of the global highlights of the year, with the Doctor Who special being shown on TV in 98 countries, with 3D screenings in 23 countries, broadcast in 15 languages, and selling 649,138 cinema tickets in 25 countries. Following transmission, the episode went straight to the top of the iTunes US and Amazon charts, illustrating appetite for the Doctor Who brand, which has 4.3m fans on Facebook.

BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm, also reported on how well the series performs for the Corporation. The Day Of The Doctor sold more DVD copies in its first week than any previous Doctor Who title. Additionally, the returned classic Doctor Who episodes, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, topped the iTunes TV chart in October. By offering fans exclusive products, such as limited edition box sets and branded apparel, the e-commerce business at BBCShop.com has increased by 30.4%.

In North America the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary episode reached almost 4.5m viewers on the day and set a record for activity related to a televised event on Tumblr, surpassing the Super Bowl and MTV VMAs. The Doctor Who Christmas special premiere was BBC America's first-ever audience over 3m.

BBC Worldwide reported that although revenue from consumer products in the US as a whole was marginally down, it outperformed the declining US DVD market. This was aided by Doctor Who 50th-anniversary programming, which also fuelled an 80.1% uplift in licensing, with total licensing revenue equating to over US$100m in retail sales. The one-day theatrical release of The Day of the Doctor delivered the equivalent of US$4.8m at the box office, making it the second-highest US box office hit on the night.

In Australia the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary broadcast reached 1.7m viewers, while the sales of Doctor Who DVDs increased by 59.6%. Live events included the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular touring three cities, and the 50th-anniversary episode screening was seen by more than 95,000 cinema-goers in 131 cinemas. BBC Worldwide Australia launched four Doctor Who pop-up shops and an online store.

In Latin AmericaThe Day of the Doctor was seen by 24,000 people in cinemas across the region.

7/21/2014 11:11:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

BBC Worldwide has responded to criticism from fans in South Korea by changing the venue of the Seoul leg of its World Tour, allowing many more people to attend the special screening in the capital.

The event will now take place in the Grand Ballroom at the 63 Building which will give more than 1000 fans the chance to watch the first episode of the upcoming season of Doctor Who, Deep Breath.

The fan event will still take place on August 9 and will include an appearance by the new Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, and his on-screen companion, played by Jenna Coleman.

Soojin Chung, GM of BBC Worldwide Korea said

"Fans are at the heart of everything we do. We have listened to and taken our fans advice. The new venue will allow many more fans to participate in the fan event and the contests we have planned will allow as many Doctor Who fans as possible to get their hands on tickets –whether they are in Seoul or not.

Tickets go on sale on Friday 25 July at 9am (KST). Fans will be able to purchase online from yes24.com . Tickets are priced at 15,000 KRW ($15.60) and 12,000 KRW ($11.70).

In the lead-up to the landing of the Doctor Who World Tour in Seoul, BBC Worldwide will host two competitions, giving fans the opportunity to win tickets to the fan event:

BBC Worldwide Ticket Competition.

Starting Tuesday 22 July, the TARDIS will be popping up in prominent locations in Seoul. Fans who spot it can take a creative picture of themselves with the TARDIS, and tweet us in the picture showing us how much they love Doctor Who. Fans should post to their photo to Twitter with the hashtag #tardisinseoul and the most creative pictures stand to win tickets to the fan event.

The TARDIS locations will be announced on our Twitter account @doctorwho_kor with the first location posted on Monday 21 July at 9pm Korea time. The full competition terms and conditions will be posted on doctorwho.tv/worldtour. Fans can start tweeting their entries from 12 noon on Tuesday 22 July until 11.59pm Sunday 27 July when the competition closes (all times KST).

Fans who aren't able to spot the TARDIS in Seoul can still win tickets to the event. A template for a mini cut-out TARDIS will be shared on Twitter at doctorwho_kor. Fans will be able to download this to use in their photos. Similar to the first competition, the most creative pictures, hashtagged #tardisinseoul stand to win tickets. The exact start date and time of this competition will be announced on Twitter.

50 pairs of tickets are up for grabs for each of the two competitions.

7/20/2014 09:30:00 pm -
Reported by
Anthony Weight

Missing episode hunter Philip Morris, who was responsible for last year's discovery of 9 previously missing episodes from The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear at a Nigerian television station, has today declined to confirm whether or not he has found any further episodes of Doctor Who.

Morris has been taking part in an online question-and-answer session at the Doctor Who Missing Episodes Discussion Group on Facebook. Since 9pm UK time, Morris has been answering questions submitted by members of the group earlier in the day.

Asked to say whether or not he had found any further episodes, Morris told the group:

A tricky one to answer

And fans will just want a yes or no haven't you or have you. But it's complex all I can say is the wind is blowing the right way be patient. I don't wish to jeopardise the ongoing project in any way .And feel the fans of all lost tv will be very happy with the outcome.

Morris told the group of the dangers inherent in searching unstable areas of the world for vintage television programmes, including encounters with bandits and armed militia and narrowly being missed by a mortar shell in Syria. But he said he had also been inspired by countries such as India, and Ethiopia, which are "nations of very innovative people who find the most amazing ways of doing things with little funding".

It was a statement of fact. All the original video recordings were wiped, all the known negatives were junked and all out of contract film copies sent to landfill. They are the facts sadly. However moving on from that you have non returned prints audition films. And things which people thankfully thought to take home.

There are no announcements in the pipeline at present.It can sometimes be the wrong thing with ongoing work and investigation. An example would be during the last announcement I was in a very hostile part of the world and suddenly I was everywhere on tv my anonymity was compromised. Which made the team a target .So we must plan these things carefully for the greater good of the project and the safety of the personnel involved.

BBC Worldwide has previously stated to Doctor Who Magazine earlier this year that "BBC Worldwide does not have any of the 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, and none of them have been - or are being - restored for release... We're aware of these rumours, and are keen to set the record straight... as we don't want fans' hopes to be falsely raised."

7/20/2014 01:09:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Titan Comics are looking for fans to cosplay as the new companions featured in the brand new comic series, with the best entry's winning a place on a special variant cover of the magazines.

Gabriella Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune will accompany the The Tenth Doctor and The Eleventh Doctor in their respective adventures, in the new set of comics, released next week, and celebrated by Titan on July 26th, Doctor Who Comics Day.

To enter just tweet your cosplay photos on July 26 to @ComicsTitan and tag them #doctorwhocomics. The best photo chosen by the Doctor Who comics editor, Andrew James will be turned into a variant cover.

7/18/2014 09:54:00 pm -
Reported by
John Bowman

A party celebrating the start of Series 8 of Doctor Who and the arrival of the 12th Doctor is to take place in London on Saturday 23rd August.

The first episode, Deep Breath, will be shown live on a giant screen with a top-notch sound system. So too will any additional Doctor Who programming being broadcast that afternoon and evening. Food and drink will be available to buy throughout the party.

Organised by Jeremy and Paula Bentham together with Tony Clark, the Twelfth Knight Party will be free to attend and is open to all people aged 18 and over. However, admission is by allocated ticket only.

Jeremy told Doctor Who News:

Launch parties are tremendous fun for everyone, but a launch party for a new Doctor is something very special indeed. Sharing and joining in the gasps of surprise, the laughter, the sudden intakes of breath, those little nods to past history as we prepare to venture " . . . into darkness." It's an amazing experience that only a live audience really gets.

Capacity at the Twelfth Knight Party is strictly limited to 800 places. To apply for tickets, e-mail Jeremy at jjbentham@aol.com no later than Sunday 10th August, using the subject line Twelfth Knight ticket applications and stating your name as well as how many people will be in your group. Before applying, though, people are urged to consider their transport options for getting home afterwards, as the party will finish late.

Successful applicants will be contacted on or before Sunday 17th August, when they will be told the exact location of the party and will be sent their group or individual tickets.

Since the show's return to TV in 2005, the organisers have held a series of highly popular event parties in London.

7/18/2014 07:30:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

It was ten years ago today that director Keith Boak first called "Action!" to commence filming on a new series for a long-running, award-winning television programme that hadn't been in front of cameras in the United Kingdom for almost fifteen years. With Doctor Who having been confined for many years within literature, audio and online adventures - and one US-based TV movie pilot that had failed to lead to anything further - it wasn't difficult for many fans to feel that the show would never return to full production, even with the assurances from the BBC since 2003 that it would indeed be coming back to television soon - seeing would be believing...

Considering the intense media coverage of the casting of the new Doctor and his companion, filming itself started with minimal fanfare. Its new star Christopher Eccleston was hidden away in the depths of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary out of sight of public scrutiny; however, fandom ensured that even such an inauspicious beginning would be marked, and reports were soon appearing on Doctor Who News (in its earlier, "Outpost Gallifrey" incarnation!) documenting anything and everything to be witnessed from "Day One" ...

Dave Shuttleworth:

After looking at the streets listed as this week's locations on the news page, I popped in to the Cardiff Visitor Centre, in Working Street. I figured there was no harm in asking whether or not they could confirm that Doctor Who was going to be filmed outside their premises and, sure enough, not only are the crew using the street, they're using the visitor centre itself as a location, together with the pub next door (Toad @ the Exhibition).

The two premises are part of the same building - the old city library - and are being used as a police station. I went into the Toad for lunch (not bad and reasonably priced!) and got chatting to the girls behind the bar. They're getting ready to let the Doctor Who crew use half the pub on Tuesday night from 7pm (the rest will be open to the public) and are quite excited about the prospect.

From there I walked out to the old Cardiff Royal Infirmary, which is a wonderfully ramshackle example of gothic decay - a great location! In the area at the front of the building was a group of about eight or ten extras, dressed as soldiers - camouflage gear, red berets and heavy rifles - together with one man dressed in a smart military uniform, with a cap (from the military police vehicle I spotted later, I would guess they might be 'Redcaps' but I didn't recognise the insignia on the berets, which was sort-of T-shaped metal badge - perhaps a figure with arms outstretched?).

There were various film crew types wandering about and an awful lot of lighting/equipment vans and other lorries. Circling the site, there were lots of temporary 'BBC Wales' signs and I asked one of the chaps what was going on (I'm sure my pretence of 'not being all that interested' didn't fool him for a moment!) and he said: "It's the first day of filming on the new series of Doctor Who."

Back round at the front of the building, some set dressing was going on at the hospital gates - a big 'metal' arch, painted black, with 'ALBION HOSPITAL' in gold letters, which were being dirtied down. From the safety of the other side of the road I watched for a while (I was desperate not to run the slightest risk of getting in the way or annoying anyone and it's a very public place, so what the hey?) then went off to the cinema for a couple of hours.

When the film was over I couldn't resist popping back for another look! By this time (around 4pm) there were a handful of police vehicles (basic markings - stripes and lettering, blank insignia - so not a specific force, apart from one that had 'MILITARY POLICE' on its bonnet. Maybe extra decals will be added later?) and the armoured car. Round the back of the infirmary were four extras, dressed as police wearing tactical gear (black combat stuff).

I managed to position myself surreptitiously near the main gates to the Hospital (renamed Albion Hospital) where a scene with a reporter was being rehearsed/filmed. I saw the material being played back on DV Playback equipment (thus ending the film/DV argument, I guess) and it consisted of the reporter uttering dialogue indicating that "Nobody is confirming if the body is alive or dead. Whitehall are saying nothing. The body has been brought here to Albion Hospital, the nearest hospital to the river. The roads are closed, the hospital has been evacuated." There was some reference to a General Asquith, the body being human or alien and then the roads were closed again as a scene of a military police car and an ambulance driving through the gates was recorded. The general area was 'decorated' with London-style bus stops, one of which, I noticed as I walked right past it, was bearing a London street map the familiar red circle-style London Underground symbol.

The area was literally packed with people - technicians, production crew etc, presumably Keith Boak directing from the concourse area inside the gates. There were loads of black-clad police officers brandishing machine guns, the tank had been moved nearer the gates and there were quite a few other vehicles and extras in military uniform. I caught a quick glimpse of the script in the hands of one technician and while I couldn't get close enough to have a good look I could clearly see dialogue and reference to one character speaking - Jackie.

The scenes above were ultimately for Aliens of London, but a couple of days later the media finally caught up on events with widespread coverage of filming outside Howell's Department Store and Queen's Arcade in the town centre for Rose, including BBC News coverage live from outside the store, and more fans gathering to catch a glimpse of "their" show coming back to life for the 21st Century ...

David Shaw:

The Autons are back! After reading the tip-offs on Outpost Gallifrey (thanks), I travelled the 150 miles to Cardiff yesterday (Tues 20th July) with my 6-year-old daughter, Emma, in the hope of experiencing a bit of the magic of Dr Who's return. We found the Working Street/St. John Street location quite easily, and wandered past the production team vans at 5.30pm. Emma was delighted to spot a familiar group of shop-dummy props in the back of one of the trucks, clearly indicating the return of the Autons! The street was then dressed to resemble 1950s(?) London; props were positioned: a red telephone box, Underground sign, red post box, London bus stop, gaslamps, two industrial metal dustbins and an Evening Standard headline display announcing "Proper rigmarole" (a la Web Of Fear). The sign of the "Sneakers" sports shoe shop was removed and replaced with a fictional "Classic Bride" pink shopfront. Wedding gowns arrived for the dummies as well as "C.B." logo stickers for the shop windows. We were excited to realise that it would be the scene of an Auton breakout, as glaziers arrived to fit temporary glass windows! The exterior of the Toad @ The Exhibition pub was transformed into a police station, with new signs, an information board and a blue "police" lamp. We had followed two traditional 1950s-style London buses from the motorway into Cardiff earlier in the afternoon and were amazed to see them turn up in the Dr. Who street. In fact there was a range of vehicles: fire engine, Royal Mail lorry, Evening Standard van, two black London taxis and the two buses. We tried to keep out of the way and were allowed to wander up and down the street until after 8pm. A few of the workers spoke to us in a friendly manner, and no-one asked us to move away. As darkness fell, the area was closed off by the Police with "do not cross" tape, and some extras dressed as firemen arrived. We heard a few rehearsals and shouts of "Quiet please!" as some minor scenes were filmed. Since it was now 9.30 pm and it seemed likely that the main filming would not take place until the middle of the night, we left. We returned at 5am this morning, however, as dawn was breaking to find the clear-up in full swing. Significantly, there was shattered glass all over the pavement in front of the "Classic Bride" shop, and we watched as the props were systematically removed (all the vehicles had already gone). The Auton shop dummies were piled up in the street and then all props were put back into the trucks. Emma had a fantastic time - Dr Who is definitely back!

Just got back from Cardiff city centre. I stayed for about half an hour from 10 pm on. ... When I was there, they were filming outside the entrance to Queen's Arcade using it as the entrance to a shopping centre. Again, it had been dressed to look like London, with an Underground sign by the entrance. It had also been prettified a bit with a couple of new, small iron lamp posts, but otherwise they didn't seem to have changed any of the shop fronts... There were assorted vehicles about the area, including two red London buses (the Routemaster type - one was route 74 to Putney Heath for those who really like their details), a couple of black cabs, an Evening Standard van, post van, and what seemed to be a small fire engine. Plus a massive crane to light the scene. RTD was in attendance and they were filming a couple of scenes with a female actress, who was wearing blue trackie bottoms with what looked like Adidas stripes, a pink top/jumper and a blue denim jacket. She was also carrying a blue, sequined denim handbag, a mobile phone and a white A4 piece of paper/envelope. The scene consisted of the actress (likely NOT Billie Piper) walking across the road talking on her mobile, while a couple of the vehicles drove past and the best part of a dozen normally dressed extras carrying shopping bags milled about. I could hear most of the dialogue, and following a line about where are you, she was talking to somebody she referred to as darling (boyfriend). As best I can remember the dialogue it was "I can't hear you, the signal's breaking up. I'm just going to do some late night shopping." Gripping, huh? A second scene was quickly rehearsed where the same actress ran back out of the shopping centre followed by a tightly packed group of the same extras marching oddly. I have a suspicion that this might have been put on for the benefit of the audience though as the crew then broke for a meal without filming it. Hope that keeps your appetites whetted.

Ten years on, and as filming continues apace on Peter Capaldi's first series there has been no diminishing of fan and media interest in the development of the show, and modern social media services such as Twitter now provide a rich source of both fan and public experiences of the Doctor Who production out and about. The new Doctor's willingness to pose for photos with the public between takes has led to widespread interest whenever they are on the streets - yesterday being no exception when the TARDIS and its usual occupants were spotted on Queen Street, Cardiff during the morning (and duly featured by the Daily Mail). With the expectation of London featuring prominently for filming next week, the popularity of production will no doubt continue unabated (filming last took place in the capital for the 50th Anniversary special, The Day of The Doctor, and Trafalgar Square was 'besieged' by spectators!).

7/17/2014 11:36:00 pm -
Reported by
John Bowman

BBC Worldwide issued another apology today to the Doctor Who cast and production crew following the recent leaks of scripts and episodes from the forthcoming Series 8.

In total, five scripts and the first six episodes in an unfinished form ended up on an FTP (file transfer protocol) site at BBC Worldwide's office in Miami that members of the public could access, causing the corporation serious embarrassment. The blunder has led to disciplinary action being taken.

In an update statement, which also thanked fans for their efforts to stop the material spreading, the BBC's commercial arm said today:

We would like to thank Doctor Who fans everywhere for their amazing efforts in helping us contain the recent leaks.

The mistake was damaging and resulted in the exposure of five scripts and the first six unfinished episodes from Series 8 on a publicly accessible FTP site. While there is still a risk that this leak will result in more of this content emerging, so far the impact has been contained to a limited amount of this material through a combination of fans' efforts and the plan that we put in place using new technology and internal manpower to limit any illegal activity.

We would particularly like to thank the fansite moderators and Doctor Who devotees who have actively protected the programme.

BBC Worldwide has taken this issue extremely seriously and disciplinary action has been implemented as a result of the incident.

Our sincere apologies again to Steven Moffat, the cast and production team who toil long hours to make the show in Cardiff, the BBC, and of course the fans who expect so much better.

It also said sorry earlier this month, when it became apparent that the five scripts had leaked online, issuing a statement to radiotimes.com that said in part:

We deeply regret this and apologise to all the show's fans, the BBC and the cast and crew who have worked tirelessly making the series.